The Beating of Our Hearts Is the Only Sound

Chapter 3: Understanding

WARNING: includes references to drugs/alcohol and discussion of depression/suicidal thoughts.

After spending a while digging through Luther's room, they had found the smallest pair of pants he owned and took them. Then, the two spent a good amount of time trying to scrub the war from their skin and, hours later, both Klaus and Dave were fully dressed and cleaned, and sitting in Klaus' room.

     "Klaus," Dave started, his words careful but not malicious in any way. "I just want to say, that if you've just been messing around with me this whole time–"

     Through the open door, they both saw Five materialize in the hall, holding a coffee cup; he continued to walk quickly towards his room.

     "Nevermind."

     Klaus laughed, leaning against the wall behind his bed. Dave leaned back, too, their shoulders pressed against each other. Even though he was pretty sure the world was supposed to end in literal days, he had never been so happy.

     "Let me make sure I got this right," Dave said, again. Klaus had been going through all of his siblings, explaining some of their personalities, their powers, and how they'd probably react to Dave. "Vanya doesn't have powers but she's really good at violin. She'll probably be super fine with me. Diego's the guy I met, he can curve things really well and loves knives, and he'll be mean but is secretly okay. Five is–" he gestured towards the hallway where he had just materialized– "the one who looks thirteen, but don't mention that, he can teleport and respects us only because of his love for Dolores, who's a mannequin but, again, don't mention it." Klaus nodded and smiled. "Luther is giant, and he'll probably be a little weird, just because he's kind of sheltered. And Alison can manipulate people but is really nice and never does it anymore."

     "You're an expert," Klaus said.

     Dave laughed quietly and closed his eyes. "This is so weird."

     "Understatement of the year."

     "Yeah. But, honestly? It's better than home. A helluva lot better than war."

     Klaus sat up. He hadn't even thought about Dave's family or home. "I didn't– shit, Dave. I can get the case back, if you... if you want to go back home. Five can tell us how to use it, and we can skip the war."

     "No!" Dave flinched at his own words. "No, I don't want to go back. I don't really have anybody there at this point."

     Klaus nodded. He and Dave had talked some about Dave's life when they were still in the 60s, but he had never wanted to pry. He knew that Dave's parents were kind of awful to him and his brother, and that his brother had died in the war a few weeks after Dave enlisted. Klaus understood not wanting to come back; he wouldn't have left the war if Dave hadn't gotten hurt. Screw the apocalypse, he wasn't going to see it if he stayed there, and it's not like his family was going to miss him.

     Dave sat up, too, looking at Klaus. There was a simple moment of understanding between the two men before Klaus closed the distance to kiss him. This time it was longer, a kiss of longing and making up for months of hiding and loving in fear of losing each other; now they were safe; now, nobody would stop them. Dave placed one hand on Klaus' cheek, then behind his head to pull him closer. Klaus was trying to be careful to not touch Dave's injury as he put a hand on Dave's hip.

     Just then, a deep voice came from the hall. "Klaus?"

     Dave flinched away quickly, while Klaus leaned back slowly, looking out the open door.